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Tagged: NFC

Google to create phone based payment registers

By James DeRuvo
on 15 Mar, 2011

It's called near field communications, and Google thinks it's the next step in moving the world into a cashless society. Preparing for a trial run in New York and San Francisco, Google will be providing businesses with prototype Veriphone NFC wireless terminals which will enable customers to make purchases using their smartphones. In addition, NFC supported smartphones will be able to redeem digital coupons, update gift card balances, use loyalty cards and other retail features designed for retail checkout. And it's not some minor experiment either. Google is reported to be paying for the installation of thousands of NFC-enabled terminals at retail locations all across both cities.

NEC MEDIAS E-04C 7.7mm-thick Android smartphone headed to Japan

By Chris Davies
on 21 Feb, 2011

So far, NEC's Android devices have looked pretty clunky: you can hardly accuse the Touchnote or Smartia of being alluring in their design. However, all that looks set to change with the NEC MEDIAS N-04C, a 7.7mm thick Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone expected, according to Draft Life with Blog, to hit Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo on February 24. The super-slim smartphone hasn't been fully detailed, but it will have a 4-inch display, NFC and 1-Seg digital TV tuner, and be available in black and white. At 7.7mm it's thinner than the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc (which is 8.49mm thick) and the Arc doesn't even have NFC. No word on international launch plans, but NEC would be crazy not to take the MEDIAS E-04C abroad. [via Akihabara]

LG Readying NFC For the European Market, Launching 2012

By Dylan Bailey
on 1 Feb, 2011

NFC is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years. Already popular in Japan, the technology is readying itself for mainstream adoption as companies such as Google and Apple are preparing to bring the technology to the customers. LG is currently working on this technology and stated that they will be ready for launch in 2012 to the European market. In an interview with Reuters Jin-Yong Kim, vice president for business solutions at LG's Home Entertainment division, stated LG's current plans on progress on the maturing technology:

"The point-of-sale technology, which will be targeted at small and medium-sized businesses and will involve NFC or near field communications and cloud computing, is currently in beta testing. ...The plan is to launch it in Europe in 2012."

Analysts at Frost and Sullivan expect 800 million NFC-enabled mobile phones in use by 2015 and it will be the most-used form of mobile payment. With Google's focus on the technology and promising support in upcoming operating systems, we can expect to see NFC-adoption grow significantly in markets other than Japan. [Via Reuters]

Nexus S Able to Write NFC Tags (as well as read them)

By Chris Burns
on 25 Jan, 2011

So you might very well know that the NFC revolution is really ramping up as of late in the Android world. You might also know that Google's Nexus S handset, out already right this moment, has NFC tag reading capabilities, this before there's extensive compatibility available in the world of apps and consumerism. What you might NOT know is that the Nexus S can WRITE NFC tags just as well as it can read them.

Google to Focus on LTE, Mobile Money, & Cheap Smartphones in 2011

By Dylan Bailey
on 20 Jan, 2011

Google has now established itself in the mobile market as a fierce competitor. Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, has taken to the Harvard Business Review to talk about the company's plans for 2011, all of which are centered on the competitive mobile space.

Samsung’s Galaxy S2 to have dual-core Orion CPU, 8MP camera, NFC & more?

By Chris Davies
on 20 Jan, 2011

Further details on Samsung's incoming replacement to the Galaxy S, the colloquially named Samsung Galaxy S2, continue to emerge ahead of the smartphone's expected launch at MWC 2011 next month. According to Korean site NocutNews, the Galaxy S2 - internally codenamed "Seine" - will use Samsung's dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 "Orion" processor and run Android 2.3 Gingerbread with 1GB of RAM. There's also supposedly a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display running at WVGA resolution, an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video recording, and NFC, all in a smartphone tipped to be just 9mm thick. That fits in broadly with previous rumors, certainly, and leaves us particularly excited for Samsung's MWC 2011 press event on February 13. [via SmartDroid]

LG Pecan to be NFC Phone Launched at Mobile World Congress 2011

By Chris Burns
on 18 Jan, 2011

Two Korean publications, PlusNews and Etnews are suggesting that LG is planning to release a $200 (USD) mass market phone that's got built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities and goes by the name of LG Pecan. Cute! A strange turn in both stories is that this phone will be running Android 2.2, which, as you know, does not include native support for NFC. On the other hand, both publications say they do have a direct line to LG - which I don't think is too far out of reality to be true, so let's listen in!

Google Looking to Hire a Tech Account Manager with NFC experience

By Dylan Bailey
on 17 Jan, 2011

One of the major features of Google’s Android Gingerbread was its inclusion of NFC technology. Google fully expects NFC to be the new way to make purchases and are quickly moving resources into the technology. This time they are looking to hire a Technical Account Manager who is familiar with Near Field Communication. The listing asks for the applicant to have: "At least 5 years of hands-on experience in Internet products and technologies, and knowledge of one or more of the following: NFC/RFID technologies, different chipset ISO specifications, integration with POS readers & systems and payment processing, technical implementation of merchant loyalty, coupon or incentive programs." Also worth mention, the first NFC apps are already appearing in the Android Market. One of them is Japanese, which is not surprising considering how fond Japan is to the technology. Others include Taglet, and Enable Table which are contact sharing and restaurant bill pay NFC apps respectively. We can fully expect the see a lot of NFC as Google has even been in talks with PayPal which would be huge for both company’s to offer NFC solutions.   [Via PhoneArena]

Android NFC apps appear

By Shane McGlaun
on 14 Jan, 2011

Near Field Communications or NFC has a lot of promise for everything from allowing you to pay using your phone to getting the shopper information on products and lots more. New apps for NFC on the Android platform are starting to surface and two of the first are Taglet and Enable.

Samsung Galaxy S2 to have 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus & NFC tips report

By Chris Davies
on 11 Jan, 2011

Further details on Samsung's Android smartphone plans for MWC 2011 next month continue to drip out, with a new Korean report confirming screen size and NFC support for the Galaxy S successor. According to Etnews, the unnamed Samsung smartphone - dubbed by some as the Samsung Galaxy S2 - will use a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, smaller than the 4.5-inch panel in the Samsung Infuse 4G. Meanwhile the Galaxy S2 will also have NFC support, as in the Samsung-made Nexus S. Yester, word broke that Samsung was intending to use a dual-core processor for the new handset, as well as launch new Galaxy Tab tablets at the Barcelona show. [via OLED-Display]